The development’s anchor retailer – the fashion and homewares chain TK Maxx – whose opening was originally slated for last November, will open its new 37,000 sq ft store at 9am on Thursday 28 February.

The TK Maxx signage went up at the beginning of February, and the former mall’s entrance onto Northumberland Street has been transformed into an impressive atrium access for the retailer, with escalators taking shoppers up to the store proper on the first and second floors.

How the Northumberland Street frontage of Monument Mall used to look (24 Apr 2012)

Meanwhile, the long-established TK Maxx store in the basement of Monument Mall will close its doors the day before, finally freeing up that area and the Blackett Street entrance to be redeveloped in turn.

Poster at existing TK Maxx, Monument Mall, Newcastle (10 Feb 2013)

Though all the other shops within Monument Mall closed by last April, the Blackett Street doors and escalators have had to remain in use for as long as TK Maxx has continued to trade from the basement.

However, since the news of two excellent lettings – a 9,000 sq ft Jamie’s Italian and 6,000 sq ft Armani Exchange – was finally confirmed in November, several months after Hammerson unwittingly revealed the news on its own website, no further letting updates have been forthcoming.

As work continues to complete the nine new double-height, street-facing units along Blackett Street – which are likely to be finished by the summer – it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see whether Hammerson can pull in all the names it wants for its “aspirational retail pitch”.

My retail consultancy business, CannyInsights.com, works with retailers nationwide to improve their stores, customer communications and market knowledge, and can provide bespoke place- and sector-specific market insight. For more information, visit www.cannyinsights.com, drop me an email, or give me a call on (0191) 461 0361.

[…] TK Maxx have left and it’s been torn apart and put back together. This shiny new entrance to TK Maxx is pretty different to the old one, no? And a million times more welcoming than the old one. […]

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Soult's Retail View is a blog by me, Graham Soult, taking a wide-ranging look at the UK retail industry. I'm a retail consultant based in Gateshead - and the person behind CannyInsights.com and CannySites.com - so my posts often (but not always) have a North East flavour. [read more]

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